Event of the Day: Sri Lanka versus England

Our event of the day is the 1st Day of the 2nd Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. England lead the Test series 1-0 after a 211-run win in the first Test in Galle. That broke a 13 game streak of no wins in Tests played on the road for England. It also adds to Sri Lanka’s recent woes, who have been thoroughly beaten by England across all cricket formats in this extended series between the two nations. Be sure you don’t miss the opening day of this second Test as England look to continue their dominance over the island nation and Sri Lanka look to claw back some pride in the nation’s most popular sport. Things have continued to go wrong for Sri Lanka. They have suffered through a lacklustre 2018, which has most recently featured the England cricket tour which started in early October. After the first ODI was cancelled due to rain, England came back to dominate the ODI series, taking it 3-1. The visitors then won a one-off T20 match with ease before the start of the First Test.

England beat their hosts in a dominant performance that saw Sri Lanka needing a record 462 runs in their final innings to win. A major problem in the first Test was Sri Lanka’s bowling - off-spinner Akila Dananjaya' two wickets for 183 runs was a prime example of Sri Lanka's performance against some decent English batting. Dananjaya has also been reported to the ICC for a ‘suspect bowling action’ by the first Test match officials, adding yet another problem for Sri Lanka. If things couldn’t get any worse for the hosts, they will be without captain Dinesh Chandimal, who will miss the rest of the series due to a groin injury. There appears to be no end for Sri Lanka’s problems. Prior to the Second Test, England have made minor changes to their squad. With no real need for him, 20-year-old Ollie Pope will leave Sri Lanka to join the England Lions, England’s second-tier international team, in the UAE for their series against Pakistan. While unusual to make such moves mid-tour, England coach Trevor Bayliss has stated that he would like to see Pope get some international playing time before England’s tour of the West Indies next year. It should be a fascinating day of cricket today.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to Day 4 of the Nitto ATP Finals at the O2 Arena in London. German sensation Alexander Zverev faces world number 1 Novak Djokovic, while John Isner is set to play Marin Čilić. Zverev and Djokovic both opened their tournaments in style on Monday, winning their respective matches in straight sets. Be sure that you don’t miss the games today, featuring some of tennis’ brightest stars. Elsewhere, in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors host the Detroit Pistons at Scotiabank Arena. In the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche host the Boston Bruins at the Pepsi Center. The Grand Slam of Darts continues in Wolverhampton. In NCAA basketball, 1st ranked Duke host Eastern Michigan at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

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Photos by ICC Cricket

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